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Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig: Where I interview entrepreneurs doing startups across borders and the investors who support them, with a focus on companies that have some relationship to Latin...
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Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig: Where I interview entrepreneurs doing startups across borders and the investors who support them, with a focus on companies that have some relationship to Latin America.
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1 AUG 2023 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting https://latamlist.com/ep-55-pedro-pablo-del-campo-building-bridges-between-latin-america-the-usa/ featuring Pedro Pablo del Campo, Partner of Magma Partners
Pedro Pablo del Campo is a Chilean entrepreneur and the newest addition to our http://www.magmapartners.com/ team. Born in Punta Arenas, one of the most Southerly cities in the world, Pedro Pablo traveled the world in his youth since his father was in the Air Force and then a commercial pilot. From a young age, Pedro Pablo was eager to be involved in early-stage enterprises and has gone on to founding or join early teams of several startups and nonprofits bridging the US and Latin America. In 2016, he joined the https://www.techstars.com/ team in Austin as the Business Development Director for Latin America, a position they created just for him.
Pedro Pablo has now brought his passion for supporting Latin American entrepreneurship to Magma, where he will be helping manage our portfolio and evaluating future investments for the fund. In this episode, we discuss Pedro’s non-traditional career path, his start in the nonprofit world, how a cold email got him connected to the Techstars network, and what he thinks of the maturing Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Never be afraid of relying on your network
Pedro Pablo used to think he knew everything about starting a business until he founded his first company after university. Soon, he realized he knew nothing and that he would have to surround himself with mentors and other successful entrepreneurs in order to succeed. That lesson carried him on to his time in the US when he realized that New York is a lonely place for an entrepreneur without a network.
Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to find out how Pedro Pablo built a network from scratch in each of the cities he has lived in, from Santiago to New York, and finally in Austin. It’s all about adding value, says Pedro Pablo. When you have given someone a bit of value, they are often happy to help you when you need it.
The key to bootstrapping a business from Chile? Find the right partners
After coming back from New York, Pedro Pablo knew he wanted to find something for himself. He co-founded Visualogica, a design firm, with three co-founders; however, he quickly side-stepped to become CEO of a vending machine company, leaving his partners in charge. This opportunity allowed both businesses to be successful in the end, and the vending machine company was even acquired.
Learn more about Pedro Pablo’s experience building a company from the ground up and how he leads a team in this episode of Crossing Borders.
The art of the cold email
Pedro Pablo reached out to the Chief Investment Officer at Techstars in a cold email while caring for his son at home while his wife studied her PhD. He wanted to tell them about the value of connecting the Latin American and US ecosystems and hoped the global accelerator would pay attention. Using his contacts in Chile, Pedro Pablo provided a network for Techstars in Latin America and helped the accelerator expand, before they had even offered him a position. His advice to new founders: never be afraid of cold emailing people, no matter how high up they are.
Find out how Techstars invented a new position for Pedro Pablo so he could help them bring Latin America into one of the largest and strongest entrepreneurial networks in the world.
Pedro Pablo is passionate about the potential global impacts of the growing Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has lots of ideas about how to build the ecosystem, including partnerships with corporate partners in the US and LatAm that will allow for bigger acquisitions that could shape the industry. Listen to this episode to hear Pedro Pablo’s predictions for how entrepreneurs from Latin America could disrupt established markets in LatAm, the US, and beyond.
Outline of this episode
- [1:59] – Where are you working in Austin?
- [2:27] – Pedro Pablo’s childhood in Punta Arenas and Santiago
- [4:04] – Did traveling at a young age impact your perspective on the world?
- [6:32] – Studying business in Chile
- [7:07] – What was your first experience with an earlier-stage company?
- [9:35] – What were some of the biggest takeaways from your time at Late?
- [10:28] – What did you do after Late?
- [12:40] – Doing business in New York vs. Chile
- [15:11] – Why did you go back to Chile after New York and what did you end up doing there?
- [17:44] – Why “boring” businesses are a good investment
- [21:02] – How did you end up in Austin?
- [26:24] – How did you create your own role at Techstars?
- [31:42] – Biggest lessons from working at Techstars
- [35:50] – How to motivate corporations to pay attention to entrepreneurship without using fear
- [40:36] – On Falabella’s acquisition of Linio
- [43:54] – What are some of your favorite books, blogs, podcasts, or documentaries you would like to recommend?
- [46:30] – Pedro Pablo’s advice to his younger self
- [47:18] – What are you most excited about working on to help entrepreneurs in LatAm with Magma over the next 6-12 months?
Resources & People Mentioned
- https://www.techstars.com/
- http://www.startupchile.org/
- https://web.facebook.com/PuroChileNYC/?_rdc=1&_rdr – Chilean shop in New York
- https://late.cl/
- http://www.visualogica.com/
- https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended-ebook/dp/B014DUR7L2 (BOOK) – Chris Voss
- https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Deals-Smarter-Lawyer-Capitalist/dp/1118443616 (BOOK) – Brad Feld
- https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Communities-Building-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem/dp/1118441540 (BOOK) – Brad Feld
- https://alexiskold.net/
This episode is brought to you by ProColombia, the agency behind the many products and services of Colombian origin that share flavor, design, creativity, quality, and well-being with the world. Learn more about Colombia’s diverse offers by visiting https://b2bmarketplace.procolombia.co/en/specialized-offer/industries-4.0/bpo?utm_source=latamlist&utm_medium=brandedcontent&utm_campaign=industrias4.0&utm_term=publireportaje&utm_content=bpo
18 JUL 2023 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting https://latamlist.com/rebecca-fischer-divibank-helping-brazilian-entrepreneurs-scale-with-non-dilutive-capital-ep-186/ featuring Rebecca Fischer, cofounder and CEO of Divibank.
Before Divibank, small and medium enterprises in Brazil only had two financing options: getting debt from a bank or raising venture capital. But most startups don’t meet bank financing requirements, and not every company can raise VC or wants to raise VC.
Divibank provides a third alternative for startups and SMEs: revenue-based financing. Divibank launched in 2020 by financing digital marketing campaigns via a revenue share model. Since then, Divibank has launched other products including inventory financing and recurring revenue financing.
In this episode, I sat down with Rebecca Fischer, Divibank’s CPO and cofounder to talk about what she learned from working on digital marketing campaigns for huge brands, how she got Divibank off the ground, and how Divibank provides a better financing alternative for entrepreneurs in Brazil.
The overlooked potential of ad spend
Before starting Divibank, Rebecca worked for an advertising agency where she helped companies grow via paid digital ads. Clients invested huge amounts of money in their digital marketing campaigns, and the returns were great.
During her time running ad campaigns, Rebecca discovered two things that kickstarted the idea for Divibank: ad spend was a real asset class that could be an alternative to VC funding, and many people weren’t taking their ad spend as seriously as she thought it should be.
Listen to this episode to discover how Rebecca found an opportunity to provide financing for entrepreneurs to scale through digital marketing campaigns.
Non-dilutive capital to extend entrepreneurs’ runways
Divibank provides financing for founders who don't want to dilute themselves through venture capital and want access to capital to scale their businesses.
The startup’s clients are usually digitally native companies that know what their revenue will look like in the short term. They are looking for financing, but they are not ready yet to split the pie with many other shareholders. Divibank gives them the freedom to choose whether to raise VC money or keep growing with non-dilutive capital.
Check out this episode to find out how Divibank is helping founders in Brazil extend their runways and raise when they’re at a higher valuation.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:10] - About Divibank
- [01:42] - What financing looks like for SMEs in Brazil
- [03:40] - Divibank’s average client
- [05:10] - Rebecca’s background
- [06:00] - Lessons learned from working in advertising agencies
- [08:08] - ABC of non-dilutive financing
- [11:30] - Divibank’s zero to one
- [12:58] - Divibank’s first steps
- [14:43] - Divibank’s experience with fundraising
- [16:30] - Where is Divibank today
- [17:49] - Rebecca’s book recommendations
- [19:21] - Rebecca’s advice to a younger self
- [20:10] - What’s next for Divibank
Resources and people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccadfischerbr/
- https://www.divibank.co/home
- https://skai.io/
- https://nubank.com.br/en/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimetaboada/
- Book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49255502-piranesi
Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fintech-leaders/id1579999679
Greatest Hits Episode: Juan José Leaño, Parco: Digitalizing Latin America’s parking industry, Ep 204
4 JUL 2023 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting https://latamlist.com/juan-jose-leano-parco-digitalizing-latin-americas-parking-industry-ep-181/ featuring Juan José Leaño, founder and CEO of Parco.
As an intern at a law firm, Juan hated parking in cash-only parking lots. After having to go to the ATM or getting countless parking tickets, he thought there had to be a better way. In 2016, Parco was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has since expanded into 28 cities across the country. Parco allows parking lot operators to install a software system to their existing parking systems for consumers to pay using a credit card via the Parco app. Users can also pay for parking tickets and get information about their driving history.
In this episode, we discuss how Parco is changing how the parking business operates and improving people’s lives across Latin America. We talk about his journey from working at a law firm to becoming a full-time tech entrepreneur and how the pandemic accelerated the company’s growth.
From law firm employee to full-time entrepreneur
Juan knew nothing about the tech business world when he started Parco, but he did know a problem when he saw one. Juan drove a car to run errands for his job at a law firm in Guadalajara, and parking was a nightmare because parking lots only accepted cash. After a few costly parking tickets, Juan pitched the Parco idea to his boss, who thought it was a great idea and said he was willing to invest.
In this episode of Crossing Borders, Juan talks us through his experience creating a company with zero experience to building a startup that plans to scale to multiple Latin American countries.
Creating an easy and transparent way for people to pay for parking in Latin America
Before Parco, parking meant long lines, carrying cash, or walking to an ATM to take out cash if you didn’t have any with you. Today, Parco allows people to pay for their parking via an app, which is 10x better than waiting in line or running back into a mall to search for an ATM.
Parco also generates user demographics and data for operators to understand how users behave and how often they park while providing transparency and safety.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how Parco provides more revenue to parking operators and why they chose to be a software vendor instead of hardware.
Scaling Parco in Mexico during the pandemic
The pandemic was a before and after for Parco. Before the pandemic, Parco had only launched in 8 cities. Since then, the Parco team launched 20 more cities remotely.
The pandemic not only accelerated the parking industry’s digitization but also changed the way Parco interacts with customers. The app quickly transitioned from an added value to a necessity.
In this episode, Juan shares with us how the pandemic became a milestone for Parco because of how they learned to scale and expand.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:20] - What problem does Parco solve?
- [05:08] - Juan’s background
- [07:15] - Creating a company with zero experience
- [09:45] - Parco’s geographic expansion
- [12:07] - Covid-19’s effect on Parco
- [15:26] - Choosing to be a software vendor
- [16:48] - Planning for a LatAm expansion
- [18:23] - Parco as an operating system
- [20:30] - Data analytics for operators
- [23:48] - Advice for a younger Juan
- [24:55] - Book recommendations
- [26:25] - Parco’s plans for the future
Resources & People mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-leano-3458b6123/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlustig/
- https://parcoapp.com/
- Books
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54898389-the-almanack-of-naval-ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4865.How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People by Dale Carnegie
22 JUN 2023 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting https://latamlist.com/luis-ruben-chavez-zenfi-helping-mexicans-build-their-financial-health-ep-163/ featuring Luis Rubén Chávez, founder and CEO of Zenfi.
Luis Rubén Chávez, co-founder and CEO of Zenfi, is changing the way people in Mexico think about financial health. Zenfi is a complete digital finance platform focused on lending that strives for the financial health of its customers. With more than 2.5 million users, the platform provides customers with tools to build a consistent long-term financial plan.
Zenfi offers an app that reviews clients’ credit bureaus for free. They provide personalized diagnostics, tips to improve the customer’s profile, and identity theft alerts. Also, Zenfi helps those who need a personal loan, debt consolidation, or car insurance by reviewing their information and recommending products according to their needs.
Before starting Zenfi, Luis Rubén worked in finance for eight years. He witnessed first-hand its inefficiencies, high concentration, and sometimes abusive practices that don’t help the user in the longer term. Banks offer 60+ products and services but execute poorly a large percentage of them, and fintechs are filling this gap in the market. With the new fintechs that are emerging, Luis Rubén thinks Mexico will have in 5 years a completely different financial system.
Listen to this episode to hear how Luis Rubén is raising awareness about the inefficient lending system in Mexico, what Zenfi is doing to provide a healthier alternative for people, and how the company is expanding its services by offering a marketplace of financial products.
Diversifying the financial system in Mexico
Banks own the credit bureau in Mexico, which reports only negative credit ratings of individuals. The five largest banks in Mexico hold 80-85% of the country’s consumer portfolio, and this high concentration means there is little to no competition. Many financial institutions have conflicts of interest and few incentives to build better data and technological products and services.
Mexicans perceive credit scores as a black box, filled with misconceptions that lead them to make adverse choices. Luis Rubén was part of the problem working within the financial system, but in this episode of Crossing Borders, he explains how he is now part of the solution.
Demystifying credit scores for Mexico’s population
Zenfi’s most attractive product is its free credit score check. The company analyzes the customer’s information and provides them with a complete and user-friendly diagnosis. Also, it gives useful and detailed information such as the impact that each variable has on the score, and parameters to understand your strengths and weaknesses to see what you have to improve. The company has nailed a feature that millions of Mexicans need in an inefficient system that has few incentives to help them maintain a good credit score.
Listen to this Crossing Borders episode to learn how Zenfi will continue to attract millions of users to its platform.
A marketplace for financial products
Users needed a bigger picture for making a long-term personal finance plan, so Zenfi started offering a marketplace where fintechs sell, for example, their mortgage, insurance, and credit card products. Zenfi’s marketplace shows the best financial products that its users can have access to. Zenfi’s lending criteria sometimes cannot give users a loan, so the company refers them to another fintech where they might have a product that serves them.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to understand how Zenfi is taking a hybrid approach by offering its products and a marketplace with the best fintechs in Mexico.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:09] - About Zenfi
- [02:10] - Zenfi’s credit scores
- [03:22] - Misconceptions and inefficiencies of the credit scoring system
- [05:20] - Zenfi in numbers
- [08:47] - Luis Rubén’s background
- [11:10] - Why is the traditional financial system stalled?
- [15:30] - Zenfi’s fintech marketplace
- [19:31] - The fintech ecosystem in Mexico in the last 5 years
- [25:10] - Reading recommendations
- [28:01] - Advice for a younger Luis Rubén
- [31:45] - The future of Zenfi
Resources & People mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-rub%C3%A9n-ch%C3%A1vez-tostado-7980ba53/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlustig/
- https://www.zenfi.mx/
- Book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17660462-the-everything-store
- Blog by http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html
This episode is brought to you by ProColombia, the agency behind the many products and services of Colombian origin that share flavor, design, creativity, quality, and well-being with the world.
Learn more about Colombia's diverse offers by visiting https://b2bmarketplace.procolombia.co/en/specialized-offer/industries-4.0/bpo?utm_source=latamlist&utm_medium=brandedcontent&utm_campaign=industrias4.0&utm_term=publireportaje&utm_content=bpo
23 MAY 2023 · Online payments in Latin America are rapidly growing, creating significant opportunities for businesses and consumers. https://americasmi.com/insights/financial-technology-payments-latin-america/ in LatAm's top six markets, marking a decline from pre-pandemic when cash represented around 70%.
Aron Schwarzkopf is cofounder and CEO of Kushki, a Latin American digital payments company. Magma invested in Kushki in 2018 to support its mission of providing the infrastructure to develop better payment products.
I sat down with Aron to discuss his journey as an entrepreneur and his experience in the payments industry. We also discuss the challenges of managing a multicultural company and Kushki's recent acquisition of Billpocket, a Mexican mobile payments company.
Getting Ph.D. in payments and startups
Aron started his entrepreneurial journey in college confounding Leaf, a payments company, alongside Sebastian Castro. After Leaf’s acquisition, Sebastian and Aron shifted their focus to investing in Latin America.
Despite receiving an offer to become an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) for a major company in New York, Aron declined the offer to focus on launching Kushki with Sebastian. Today, Kushki has a strong presence in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and the US and has recently acquired Billpocket, a leading Mexican payments company.
Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Aron’s journey as an entrepreneur.
Building a multicultural team
After six years of operating in multiple countries, Kushki has built a multicultural team that encourages connections and transparency. The Kushki Nation has become a significant asset in driving the company's success, enabling them to foster a strong commitment towards their goals, despite the challenges of remote work.
Learn more about how Kushki leads a multicultural remote team in this episode of Crossing Borders.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:33] - About Kushki
- [02:04] - Payments in Latin America
- [07:11] - Ph.D. in payments
- [10:20] - Starting a company in Latin America instead of the US
- [12:41] - Building a multicultural company
- [16:11] - The aha! moment behind Kushki
- [19:57] - Investment in Latin America
- [22:17] - Kushki’s use cases and stories
- [24:35] - Billpocket’s acquisition
- [26:41] - Advice to Aron’s younger self
- [27:53] - Aron’s favorite podcasts and books
- [29:04] - What’s next for Kushki?
Resources & people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/aronschwarzkopf/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastiancastrogalnares/
- https://kushkipagos.com/en/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/leaf-your-life/
27 APR 2023 · This episode was recorded on March 20, 2023
In the 90s, technology stock valuations soared rapidly in the US. Investors were pouring money into Internet-based companies, and the value of equity markets grew exponentially.
In 2000, things started to change. Between 2001 and 2002, the dotcom bubble burst, causing many tech companies to go bankrupt.
Monty Schmidt is a serial entrepreneur and CTO who co-founded Sonic Foundry, a music tools startup that grew to $50M+ in revenue. After taking it public at the peak of the tech bubble, Monty was worth $200M on paper, but when the bubble burst, his net worth plummeted to ~$0.
From hyper-growth to a market crash
Monty helped create some of the first audio software for Windows in the early-mid 90s, which eventually became Sonic Foundry.
Between 1995 and 1998, Sonic Foundry experienced hyper-growth and went public, raising ~$25M. By 2000, Sonic Foundry was valued at $1.2B, had an annual revenue of $30M, and about 400 employees.
After the market crash, they only had six months of runway. Monty and his team took a few weeks to strategize and then laid off half the company to extend runway. They then took on some high-interest debt and cut more employees, and were able to sell the media part of their business to Sony in early 2003.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear the story behind Sonic Foundry.
Surviving unexpected market downturns
Monty found himself in a tough spot where he had to make the difficult decision to lay off half of his employees. Despite his optimism, the market failed to improve, and Monty made further cuts.
After the deal with Sony, they had just 30 employees and $12M in the bank. However, thanks to their decisions, the company was able to continue operating to this day and employed hundreds of people over time.
Monty learned during this time the importance of having 18 months of runway to weather any unexpected market downturns. He also believes that a more conservative approach during tough times is vital to ensure a company's survival. These decisions are not easy, but they can ultimately make the difference between success and failure in the long run.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Monty’s lessons learned during market downturns.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:02] - About Monty
- [08:04] - Growth after going public
- [13:50] - The market crash
- [15:37] - Market behavior during downturns
- [20:33] - Closing a deal with Sony
- [22:23] - Lessons learned
- [24:30] - Going from 3 to 400 people
- [28:06] - Advisors during the downturns
- [31:08] - Recognizing bubbles
- [37:12] - The drip of bad news
- [42:13] - Surviving a market downturn
- [37:12] - Lay-offs
- [52:24] - Founders' most precious assets
Resources & people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/montyschmidt/
- https://sonicfoundry.com/
6 APR 2023 · Mexico's metabolic health is alarming, with only one out of ten individuals falling in the “healthy” range and nearly 20% of Mexicans have diabetes. Lifestyles have drastically changed over the years, poor eating habits, little physical activity and rest have had a negative impact on people's health, causing an increase in chronic, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.
After successfully starting multiple businesses, including one of Mexico’s largest fintechs, Cristina had a health scare and after getting better, decided to dedicate her life to helping other people improve their own health. Cristina Randall is the cofounder of Somos, a company that empowers Mexicans to take control of their health. Somos allows people to track how their habits affect their bodies to find the most efficient path to achieve their health goals. Their first product is a continuous glucose monitor that helps people see how what they eat and the exercise they do directly affects their health.
I sat down with Cristina to discuss her entrepreneurial background, the future of wearables in the health industry, and how having access to these devices allows people to make informed decisions about their health.
Transitioning from engineering to entrepreneurship
Cristina studied engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada and then joined a student program where she got to work in IT consulting in India, investment banking in Japan, and international development in Southern Africa.
While working in Africa supporting local businesses for a program called Engineers Without Borders, Cristina saw the value of building businesses and decided to delve into the startup world once she returned to Canada.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Cristina’s entrepreneurial journey.
Building a tool to understand the body
Cristina’s entrepreneurial journey in Mexico began a decade ago when she co-founded Conekta, a platform for online payments. Years later, after being diagnosed with Lyme disease, she experienced first-hand the limitations of the healthcare system, spurring her to start Somos to give people the power to control and prevent chronic diseases.
Somos became the assistant that Cristina wished she had when she got sick. Somos empowers people to understand the collective influence of their health markers, habits, and environment on their overall health.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear the story behind Somos.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:26] - About Somos
- [02:03] - Healthcare in Mexico
- [05:25] - From engineering to building a fintech company
- [08:31] - Funding a fintech company in Mexico
- [09:14] - Biggest lessons learned building Conekta
- [11:42] - Cristina’s jump into healthtech
- [14:50] - Somos: A tool to understand your body
- [18:07] - What’s next for Somos?
- [21:44] - Advice to Cristina’s younger self
- [24:32] - Cristina’s books and podcasts recommendations
Resources & people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinarandall/
- https://www.somos.me/
- https://www.conekta.com/
- https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Life-Changing-Power-Balancing-ebook/dp/B098442BG3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
- https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0BXR7H9GL?geniuslink=true
- https://open.spotify.com/show/6URI4B1cUWfuq03Vqr2rGn?si=63653dda8b914f6a
16 FEB 2023 · Generative AI is becoming a game changer for creative industries by boosting content creation with more efficient and cost-effective processes.
Alejandro Matamala is the cofounder and CDO of Runway, a pioneering company that develops AI-powered tools designed to improve creative workflows.
I sat down with Alejandro to talk about AI's progress and how Runway is building the future of AI tools for creative industries. Runway isn’t Alejandro’s first company. He’s been an entrepreneur since his university days, starting a creative agency, a dental marketplace, and an Etsy-like platform for Chile.
From digital agency to building AI tools for creatives
Alejandro's entrepreneurial journey began when he was young. Pursuing his creative interests, Alejandro studied communication at university and opened a design studio in Chile. His passion for business and creativity continued and led him to cofound Vitrin, Deenty, and Runway.
Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Alejandro's entrepreneurial background.
Jumping from a master’s thesis to building a successful AI company
During his master's program at NYU, Alejandro met fellow Chilean Cristóbal Valenzuela, Runway's cofounder, who built the first version of Runway as his thesis project.
Upon graduating, NYU offered them a research residency where they met Anastasis Germanidis, who joined Runway as a cofounder. One prototype and a tweet generated interest from users and set the tone for building the successful company that Runway is today.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear the full story behind Runway's cofounders' journey.
Generative AI’s breakthrough
In the last few years, we have witnessed the power of generative AI, but this tech is not new. In the last year, Runway has increased its offering of AI tools from three to more than thirty, a growth that comes from 5 years of work and research.
Today Runway's tools produce high-quality media outputs and have been used in films such as the award-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Listen to Alejandro’s perspective on the future of generative AI in this episode of Crossing Borders.
Outline of this episode:
- [01:44] - About Runway
- [03:57] - Runway's tools
- [05:49] - From founding a design studio to creating AI-Powered tools
- [07:31] - Having a business while studying at college
- [09:14] - About Deenty
- [12:30] - Lessons learned from building three different companies
- [13:54] - Jumping to the US
- [18:07] - The breakthrough of generative AI
- [20:30] - The fundraising process through the years
- [22:50] - The future of generative AI tools
- [26:28] - Alejandro’s documentary recommendation
- [27:24] - Advice to Alejandro’s younger self
- [35:23] - What’s next for Runway?
Resources & people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/matamalaortiz/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvalenzuelab/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/agermanidis/
- https://runwayml.com/
- https://twitter.com/runwayml/status/1622594989384519682
- https://www.deenty.com/
15 DEC 2022 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, https://latamlist.com/dan-green-gunderson-dettmer-legal-structures-for-startups-in-latin-america-ep-122/, Partner at Gunderson Dettmer.
An avid traveler from a young age, Dan Green’s relationship with Latin America stretches all the way back to his childhood trips to Mexico and Ecuador and visits from an aunt who dazzled him with stories about doing business in Chile. Driven by his passion for the region, Dan was set on becoming a link between the US and Latin American markets.
In 2004, Dan started practicing law in Silicon Valley, immersing himself in the venture capital and startup world. Today, Dan is a corporate partner at Gunderson Dettmer, a law firm that focuses on global venture capital and emerging technology and has been practicing in and around Latin America for over 15 years.
I sat down with Dan to talk about how his trip to Latin America during his 20s inspired him to focus on building a bridge between Silicon Valley and the region, supporting top-level entrepreneurs like the current founders of Cornershop. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different corporate structures for entrepreneurs starting their own business.
The mirror image of California through an atlas
Growing up in California, Dan’s aunt had told him stories about Chile from her ventures selling sonar fishing equipment to fishermen around the world. His aunt’s stories had intrigued him enough to choose Chile in his third year of undergrad at Stanford to complete a study abroad program. There, he fell in love with his future wife as well as with the country, the culture, and the people of Latin America.
Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how this chapter in his life inspired him to follow a career that would allow him to continue connecting with Latin America.
‘The Valley’ awakening to Latin America
Over the years, Dan has witnessed how the Latin American tech landscape has transformed. From broadband connection to access to mobile phones and a rising trust in eCommerce. The first investments, which are always the hardest when breaking into a market, took place in Brazil. According to Dan, these investments in Brazil unlocked the rest of the region for foreign investment.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn about the first investments that paved the way for other investors in the Valley.
An emerging standard in legal structures for business in Latam
One of the most important steps in starting a business is deciding on a legal structure. According to Dan, if done correctly this decision can save millions of dollars in terms of taxes and costs down the road. However, the answer is not always clear. This is especially true in the initial stages of a business when there is still so much uncertainty revolving around questions like how much you are going to raise or what your operating or exit path is. Dan explains that the more clarity you have about these questions, the more guidance you will be able to receive.
Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of different legal structures in this episode of Crossing Borders.
Dan Green is helping high impact businesses grow in Latin America and the US, leveraging his legal expertise and connections in Silicon Valley to become a bridge builder for the best entrepreneurs and investors in both regions.
Outline of this episode:
- [1:32] - About Gunderson Dettmer
- [2:16] - From Silicon Valley to Latam
- [6:59] - Changes in the ecosystem
- [11:08] - What corporate structure should you have?
- [19:19] - What you need to know about Delaware Corporations
- [22:16] - Setting up in Cayman
Resources & people mentioned:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-green-b610544
- https://www.gunder.com/
- https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/needish
- https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/clandescuento
- https://www.peixeurbano.com.br/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/santisubotovsky/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gonzalezrodolfo/
- https://www.kaszek.com/
- https://monashees.com.br/en/
9 DEC 2022 · For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Doménica Obando, CEO, and co-founder of Talently
Doménica Obando, CEO and co-founder of Talently, is helping build Latin America into the next tech talent hub while offering better jobs to skilled developers and data scientists.
Originally from Peru, Domenica worked in an NGO and the public sector before becoming a full-time entrepreneur. First, she founded Andi, a learning platform, which afterward she decided to pivot into Talently.
Talently is a talent accelerator for tech professionals in Latin America. Software developers and data scientists who feel stuck in their careers apply to Talently to upgrade their skills and land better jobs in return.
Talently diagnoses the skills tech professionals need to improve their careers and also provides courses to develop soft skills such as employability, interview prep, and more. The company has a heavy focus on improving their English fluency, which is a limiting factor that prevents their career growth.
So far, Talently has helped 800 engineers land better jobs at companies such as Paypal, Nubank, and Mercado Libre. And this year, the startup is set to help 4,000-5,000 professionals. According to Doménica, Talently is looking forward to becoming Latin America’s largest talent marketplace.
In this episode, I sat down with Doménica to talk about the experiences that helped her become the entrepreneur she is today. She shares how families in Latin America can improve their economy with education, and her experience pivoting her startup.
Doménica’s path across private, nonprofit, and public sectors
Doménica fell in love with startups while in university but took a different path. She worked at the Ministry of Education and then joined a friend to start an educational-focused NGO. She spent three years leading a team of 50 volunteers, as they taught digital skills to school teachers. Doménica decided to move on after realizing that working in the public sector and in an NGO didn’t fit her fast-paced personality and hunger for impact.
Learn more about why Doménica chose to become an entrepreneur in the Edtech industry in this Crossing Borders episode.
A startup as a vehicle to deliver outsized impact
Andi, an English learning platform, was Doménica’s first startup. However, when she found that most of Andi’s customers were trying to improve their English in order to get international positions and that half of them were software developers, she decided Andi would pivot into Talently, a platform that could take advantage of the tech boom in Latin America. In just 8 hours after launch, Talently received 100 applications.
Listen to this Crossing Borders episode to understand how Doménica’s primary goal was to build a product that created the most impact.
Developing skills in tech professionals to upgrade their reality
Talently’s participants finish the program earning 2X more on average than before. In many cases, they end up multiplying their earnings up to 10x. This increase in their income causes a huge impact on families and communities of Talently’s graduates. Sometimes, they earn more money than all of their family combined. Before, Doménica felt that her lack of English proficiency prevented her from achieving professional success. Once she mastered the English language, she found the drive to advance her career as she had always wanted.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders and learn why Doménica thinks it is essential to build tools for tech professionals to become confident about their careers, so they can change their lives.
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Outline of this episode:
[01:30] - About Talently .
[01:54] - Talently’s value proposition.
[03:27] - Improving the income of tech professionals.
[05:40] - Latin America as a tech talent hub.
[06:41] - Doménica’s background.
[09:53] - The importance of English proficiency.
[11:37] - Pros and cons of working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
[15:00] - Lessons learned from past working experiences.
[16:40] - The path to product-market fit.
[19:14] - Pivoting, from Andi to Talently.
[21:27] - A multi-country startup.
[24:32] - Talently’s impact in Latam.
[26:25] - Advice for her younger self.
[27:10] - Doménica’s book recommendations.
[27:45] - What’s next for Talently?
Resources & people mentioned:
Doménica Obando
Talently
Andi
Daniel Undurraga
Cornershop
StartSchool Perú
Edtech program: Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation at MFA
Nathan Lustig
Wayra Accelerator
Book The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary
Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig: Where I interview entrepreneurs doing startups across borders and the investors who support them, with a focus on companies that have some relationship to Latin...
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Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig: Where I interview entrepreneurs doing startups across borders and the investors who support them, with a focus on companies that have some relationship to Latin America.
show less
Information
| Author | Podcasts LatamList |
| Organization | Podcasts LatamList |
| Categories | Business , Entrepreneurship , Investing |
| Website | www.spreaker.com |
| nathan@magmapartners.com |
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